Digging up the past

after 6 1/2 years, i've finally gotten around to revisiting our wedding pictures. our photographer did a series with the guys that i really like...

this christmas

doesn't seem to feel like christmas... maybe it's because i haven't slowed down yet to really reflect? maybe it's because our lives seem to get cluttered with things that aren't really as important as we make them out to be?
it should be a time of quite ponderings, of rejoicing, and of joyful praise to the King... but this year, the days seem to be slipping by my fingers and i haven't yet even taken the time to welcome December yet and here we are on the 23rd of December??? where does the time go?

plans fooled by weather

no running today - it's a wet, yucky day that begs for pjs and hot chocolate. so no running today, but do you see me wallowing in guilt? no ma'am!!

Something's going around...

my poor jewel has been sick for the last three days. it looks like she'll be missing school tomorrow too. she's been lethargic, quiet, and clingy. it's days like these when you want the energetic toddler back...

praying for you, jewel...

Healthy snacks

I finally found a nice holiday snack that is yummy and fairly healthy. and by fairly healthy, i mean, i'm not eating a stick of butter...

Holiday Nuts (from nourishing traditions)

Soak nuts in filtered water and salt overnight (at least 7 hours)
spread them out on a dehydrator - about 12 hours or so

they're crisp and nutty just like this - but to make them extra special...

3 egg whites whipped with a pinch of salt until white peaks
add in 1 TBL vanilla
add in 1/2 C of high quality maple syrup

spoon in the crispy nuts until well coated

spread into a thin layer in the dehydrator and let it run until the egg whites form a nice hard shell.

happy snacking!

2nd run since jfk

so i went for a nice easy 5 miles today. it seem i've been doing 1 run per week since the race. my ankle's bothering me, so it looks like i'm going to have to lay low for a few more days ;)

Somewhat eventful

i burned my hand on saturday and it was REALLY painful but i thought it was getting better so i didn't really think much of it. but this morning it looked like it was getting worse and i could tell it was infected. so i made an appt with the doctor and the nurse and doctor both looked at it and asked me why i waited so long to come in (in that shocked, parent to child tone). apparently i've got 2nd degree burns and i've got to keep it bathed in this cream and bandaged up for a week...

forgetfulness and Thanksgiving

the sermon this morning was about God reminding the Isrealites not to forget what God has done for them and to be thankful for His blessings. As a reminder, they were to put a jar of manna in the ark.

this has been my man's mantra for as long as we've been married.

i'd want something. whine. pray. cry. pout. and my man would gently remind me to NOT forget the blessings of our past.

so with that, i want to put into my jar, manna that God has given us (in chronological order):
1. a place of our own when we first got married - 2002
2. a great job for my man after a year of eager waiting - 2004
3. our jewel - 2004
4. an answer to prayer regarding law school - 2004
5. a larger place of our own - 2005
6. an answer to prayer regarding my job - 2007

Lord, this day... help me not to forget the manna YOU have provided.
AMEN

Imagine that

I enjoy a blog written by a canadian homemaker and as i was going through her visitors, i just got a glimpse of what heaven might be like. seeing all these wonderful God-followers i don't know or haven't met, yet having an intimate connection with through the blood of Jesus. oh! heaven will be grand!

Calling book lovers

www.paperbackswap.com

it's a way to get rid of books you no longer need and receive books much cheaper than buying them new. not bad if you don't mind used books.

Our jewel's 4th birthday

i did make cupcakes for our jewel's class on the day of her birthday but with the race, we didn't really have time to do much else... so we had a belated birthday after thanksgiving dinner.

didn't her aunt do a great job on the butterfly cake?!

JFK 50 memories

the aftermath

photo taken after the race.


it's been two days since the race and i can now walk.
yesterday was particularly brutal as my joints seemed to resist wanting to hold up my body weight... so standing was really hard. moving from sitting to standing, laying to sitting, etc... was all really hard. today i can walk :) having problems w/ stairs though.
if i can make it on the stairs ok, then i may attempt to join in on the turkey trot fun :) call me crazy...

JFK 50

13.22
that was my time for finishing 50 miles.

here's the recap.
3:45am wake up.
3:55 wake up jewel to get her in the car so hubby can drive me to the start
4:25 arrive at school
5 gun goes off in the pitch dark.

we're on the road, going along at a nice pace.
then we hit mile 4 - BIG hill. we walk it. about a mile. 20 minutes
the pain in my back starts... too early in the race for pain, dont' you think? but it started at mile 4 while going up the hill and it was my constant companion for the next 25 miles... until the pain in my knees took over.

around mile 5 we start the trails.

it's dark but not bad. people are friendly, talkative. they joke. we're all crazy for doing this, but it's ok because we're all being crazy together.

we run, walk some, trying to manuver in the dark and enjoy the gorgeous stars in the sky.

as we go deeper into the appalachian trails, it gets a bit more rocky and the terrain isn't as runner friendly.
mile 9 - first cut off point and first major spectator spot.
ha! fancy that, my water bottle is frozen and someone comments on the frost on my hat. mid-twenties is what the weather report said i think... but the mountains was around 17 degrees.

mile 9 to 15 - brutal. rocky. switchbacks - scary. some drop off points where you DON"T want to look down. now comes the 7am elite runners who are zooming by. they look like they're floating over the rocks. how do they do that??? meanwhile, i've got to move over and get out of there way. many times there was no place to move over to - so i hug a tree.

mile 15 - second major spectator stop and i'm finally out of the AT. now 26 miles on the C&O canal. a runner friend met me at mile 15 and stayed with me until mile 27. towards the end she sang songs from the sound of music to keep me distracted. it was great!

my man talked to me at mile 27 and he said i wasn't coherent and i just mumbled orders. then i got mad when he didn't understand what i was saying. that's funny becuase looking back, i didn't think that i mumbled at all -- guess that's what drunk people say???

from mile 27 to 38, i had another running friend meet me to run. unfortunately for her, this is when i was really crabby so i kept my words to one syllable ones and only talked when spoken to...

at mile 38, a runner friend brought chix soup. it was the best soup EVER!!

at some point along the c&o - maybe somewhere in the 30's miles - i'm trying to pray. i'm too incoherent, no sentences come together. i try to sing nursery songs that i've sung w/ our jewel hundreds of times - but i can't seem to remember all the lyrics. i try to make them up to the tune but it's takes too much effort... so i end up singing "this old man" over and over again but i couldn't remember what the lyrics were for each of the numbers... and then i would get to 12 and just make stuff up.

mile 32 to 38 were the worst. i fell twice on the c&o. and the 2nd time, i honestly didn't think i could get back up. a runner behind me was kind enough to lend me his hand, but i couldn't get up, so he kind of just dragged me off the course.
this is when i get emotional. mile 33 (i think - at this point, i'm not coherent), i get up, but it hurts to walk and each step is murder on the joints. tears well up - i've come this far and what if i can't finish? but i take one step. then another. then another. soon i'm up to a jog - if you can call it that. it's really more of a walk with a shuffle.

once i got to mile 38, i knew i only had 4 more miles to go before i was finally off the c&o canal.
mile 42 - was an emotional up. i was off the c&o (was sick of looking at the potomac at this point) and i was in the single digits. only 8 more to go.

mile 46 - missed my man, but i was so grateful that i only had 4 more to go that i wasn't disappointed. it was cold so he was in the car w/ our jewel and by the time i called, it was too late.

mile 48 - man! i started in the dark and i finish in the dark - is all i'm thinking.

mile 49.5 - someone says there's a 1/2 mile to go - so excited until i go a bit farther and someone else says the first guy had it all wrong and now it's 1/2 mile to go. ohhhhh!!! PS. if you're a spectator at a race, DO NOT say it's a mile to go when it's really 1.25 miles to go. that quarter of a mile makes all the difference in the world.

mile 50.2 i'm done. i'm cold. my legs can barely move.
i look at the medal and it reminds me:
1 cor 9:25-27 -

25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

lessons learned:
1. yes, i'm young - but my body is starting to get old. my knees and back were screaming bloody murder and i'm paying for it today and probably for the next several days while i walk funny and desperately try not to forget anything that requires me to to back upstairs.

2. we all want to feel recognized and special somehow. for some it's this race. while it's a great race (oldest foot ultra race in the country), it's just a temporal thing that pales in comparison to the surpassing knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

3. while a great experience. it's a safe bet that i won't be doing that again.

4. training for an ultra doesn't necessarily help you get thinner. in my case, i gained 10 pounds?!!

race countdown...

i think i'm supposed to be nervous. excited. anxious. something... but instead i feel nothing. probably because i try not to think about it. oh the agony of pain i have to look forward to!!
it'll be over within 14 hours - by choice or by force. saturday 7pm will be the end of a LONG journey of training, early morning runs, trying to avoid black ice in the pitch dark, of icicles on the eye lashes, sweltering heat and suffocating humidity, and every possible running injury known to man.
this will be the last long race i do for a while -- yes, after 5 doctors' opinions, i finally got the hint. i was looking for the 1 out of 5 doctor that says i could keep running, and well, i never got the one.
now that i start to write this down, it does make me sad to think that i'll be cutting the ties. running - my love hate relationship.
it's not the end of the world and i don't think that i've lost a part of myself or anything that drastic --- but it does mean that i'll lose a lot of what i worked really hard for. toned muscles, high metabolism, developing my slow twitch muscles.

well, i guess it's time for another obsession.... hummm i'm sure i'll find something.

cheap baby stuff

Check out baby cheap skate for bargains on baby stuff! unfortunately i'm getting buyer blues - you know when you buy something and then two days later find this amazing deal that would have saved you thousands of dollars?! ok, maybe not thousands, but that's how i felt when i went to this site ;)

thoughts on my dr...

ok, so i've been seeing this chiropractor that insists i call her dr... (that's another post for another time)... but i found it interesting that she seems to think that i don't know anything. she's a bit patronizing and just acts like a big know-it-all. which is ironic because i believe in a lot of the same health things she believes in after having done my own research, but it's a bit annoying to be treated like someone who knows nothing. i wonder if that's how i come across to other some times... hum. a reality check. Lord, while i am grateful for the resources and the opportunity to learn, please don't let me be cocky and arrogant when talking about health and nutritional topics to others.

More craft sites

The Nesting Place

had some interesting ideas

I also really liked little birdie secrets for ideas. with christmas coming up, i'll have to see if i can find anything fun that our jewel and i can make together.

LIttle Birdie Secrets also had a recipe for a mexican lasagna that i may try since it looks like i already have all of the ingred. on hand.

in one word...

this week SUCKED!

emotionally it was draining, tiring, and quite frankly -- was just a really stinky week.
God's teaching my man and i both the same lesson of being content and trusting in our Savior. using different circumstances in both of our lives, different means, but the same end - to Trust that God is Soverign and therefore, not to be afraid... but can i just tell you that it really stinks to be in the middle of it sometimes.

do i believe God's word - YES
do i believe He's good - YES
do i like what i'm going through - NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

need running motivation for the last stretch....

a week from today i'll be painfully trying to accomplish a goal of running 50 miles. i'm tired, sick of running, and wondering why i ever signed up for this thing...
i saw this and it was rather comforting...

2 Samuel 18:23 (New International Version)
23 He said, "Come what may, I want to run."

i know i'm taking it out of context, but still - it's a good verse.

back to the DR's office

i'm hoping that this time i'll really get somewhere w/ my back problems.
i'm hoping she'll work her magic so i'll be able to finish this race... oh yeah and a full night's sleep would be nice too :)

another read for later..

saw this interior design blog to be bookmarked and saved for later.

here's another.

CRAFTS CRAFTS CRAFTS!

i saw this
and thought it was pretty cool.
it's a site that does lots of crafts and shows you how.
i may take my pumpkins and make these... maybe for next year?

Trusting in God's soverignty

in the mist of some personal longings, God is teaching me to be content in all circumstances. to trust that God is soverign and He deeply cares for our needs.

focusing on the circumstances gets tiring. frustrating. and disparaging.
looking to Jesus to be my hope and firm foundation.

had a good cry in my man's arms last night. it's comforting to be on the same team and look to Jesus together. Jesus, thank you for giving me someone who loves You. who desires to put You first. who longs to see you glorified above all else and is bold enough to lead his family to that end.

i was thinking about this today as i pondered so many broken marriages and hearts out there who can't look to their spouses to give them the support and encouragement they need. how hard it would be to shoulder a burden alone.

a historical day

i figured that i should probably write something to document history in the making, but honestly didn't want to.
the first black american to become president.... but i'm depressed. probably the most emotional i've ever been over an election. i just keep thinking about all of those unborn babies... babies who should be given a chance to live. but w/ a president who has sworn to make it his priority to makes the laws around abortion as liberal as possible... what will become of their voice?
my heart aches for these precious, vulnerable little ones.
it's a sad day in the history of america.

running blues

i went for a run for the first time in a week on saturday. 7 miles. it wasn't too bad - 3 of those miles, i was pushing my man, who was carrying our jewel.

later that evening, i started having acute back pain.
if you've read past posts, you know that i've been having back pain for approx. 4 years - mostly dull pain while i'm sleeping. but saturday's pain was a knife-in-my-back pain. i couldn't bend over. it hurt to stand, sit, lay down... basically i was in constant pain.
sunday was much of the same. today seemed to be better - but i can feel it when i turn or happen to bend a certain way.
SOO... the BIG question is what do i do w/ my race in 3 weeks?
i think i may try to go for an easy run tomorrow and see how i feel.

at this point, i'm thinking that i'll definitely go to the starting line.. but making it to the finish .... hum, that's something entirely different.
if i don't get to run this race, it's not the end of the world. i'll just be disappointed. afterall, i've been training since february.

New blog interest

i have a secret passion for interior design.
i came across this blog and wanted to bookmark it for later

marine corp marathon 2008 memories

our jewel

today she fell and scraped her knee... in the middle of her sobbing she cries "i hurt my patella"...


i had to hug her hard so she wouldn't see me laughing... so darling!!

I'm learning too...

Our jewel has been teaching me things this year and it's been amazing to 1) see how much she's learning and 2) see how much I don't know/ remember.

her latest is the 10 commandments rhyme:

love the Lord your God
no idols
don't misuse God's name
honor mom and pop
keep the sabbath day holy
no lust
no false blame
no murder, steal, or covet.
that's ten, you're good to go!

Recap on the marine corp marathon

in a nutshell, it was a rather disappointing race for me... esp since this will probably be the last marathon i run for a while - i was hoping i'd be able to finish well.

the race started out well. great weather. no nerves. started w/ some gals from my running club. nice conversations. but around mile 3, i could already start to feel my knees starting to act up (they've been bothering me for the past week). i still ran a good pace up to the half way mark. but after that, it was down hill. the last 5 miles were especially difficult. my right knee was tight and i was overcompensating w/ my left so that the muscles in the left leg were stiff. it's the first time my groin muscles stiffened up like that. i ended up having to shuffle- run most of the last 5 miles cause my knees were so tight they didn't want to bend. usually i see the finish line and i go for it -- not this time. it took all my might just to cross that finish line. my time was nothing to brag about. and unfortunately, it's left me rethinking the 50 miler in 3 weeks. :(
i think it was just really frustrating to have a mental capacity to do something and your body not following through. sign of odd age? i mean, i wasn't even out of breathe when i finished this thing.... poor legs. they have a mind of their own.

i'm going to have to see a sports doctor and see if they can work some wonder on my legs.

another running goal?

with the 50 miler just about a month away, i'm already starting to think of my next challenge.
while i dont' think that i caught the ultra bug, (have no fear, my man)... i'm thinking of something a bit more long term.

so here's my proposed goal - (i say proposed because i don't know if want to fully commit yet). 1000 miles/ year for the next 20 years. do i dare???
it only averages about 20 miles a week - which isn't so bad. but for 20 years???

don't worry, my man, this will exclude the years if/ when i'm pregnant... or does it? ha ha ha.

bible reading week 7 and 8

while my reading hasn't been the greatest - i'm still encouraged by the words of comfort God has for us in our time of need.
with the election coming up, i've been very intentional about not listening to or reading any political news. mainly because i get so steamed with how the media seems to twist things around and how the players themselves aren't playing fair. it's enough when you've got a husband who works for a news organization and brings that stuff home anyways ;)... speaking of which, i got a call from "joe the plumber from arlington" the other day on behalf of obama. HA!!

anyways, ps 46 seemed to say a lot on this matter for me and it was really encouraging. have a listen:
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
Selah

...He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields ^[b] with fire.

10 "Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

I LOVE this!

it makes me think of the kings in judges -- even the evil ones, God used as pawns on a chessboard to bring about His Will and ultimately, His name is glorified.
so there! whoever becomes president -- God WILL BE exalted regardless of whatever agenda man comes up with.

first dentist trip

our jewel had her first dentist appt on tuesday.
she did really well during the time the dental hygienist brushed her teeth, flossed, and coated her teeth with floride... up until the very last 3 minutes when she said that she was almost done and that the dentist would be in to see her. at this she freaked out and started crying to go home right away. poor thing. nothing i could do to soothe this child who just wanted to be some place safe, familiar, and secure. the dentist was just going to count her teeth and feel her gums - no pain involved, but for her -- the psychological pain was unbearable. poor thing.

sometimes, i feel like we act like this - we feel like a discipline is coming on or we're suddenly in unfamiliar territory and we just start to shake because it's new. we're scared. we want safety. we want security. we want to go back to what we know. it doesn't matter that it's good for us or that it'll make us stronger. we can't think about that now. only the present - the pain - real or mental. In these moments, can we take a breathe and grab hold of the Truth that our Abba Father is whispering in our ears? Can we trust and believe that He's holding our hand?

Yes, Lord. I believe. Believe that You are True. You are good. You guide us through.

7 layer dip

i've been pining after this for a week! thinking about it, dreaming about it. i finally get the ingredients to make it today and now i'm too tired to eat it :(

ha ha ha ;)

the depravity of man

goodness.
sometimes, i'm just at a loss for words.

check this out

Calling all bacon lovers

Hum, is this the only way your family will eat a salad?

it looks appealing, doesn't it? too bad i don't like bacon.
but may be fun for a dinner party, huh?

Running in the rain

Just got in from a very very wet run. It started pouring about 1 1/2 miles from our end destination and it was raining so hard that i couldn't keep my eyes open.

i was completely soaked down to my socks to say the least. but it was pretty cool. wouldn't do that by myself, but running w/ a group. seeing the brilliance of lighting in the distance. there's a serenity to it and a sense of awe before a Mighty God who controls that.

bible reading week 5 and 6

today i listened to 24 proverbs! while i think i'm feeling a bit overhelmed, i thought it was pretty cool that there were key phrases that repeated itself. after a run, my memory is rather limited, so i only remember one phrase that i kept pondering over and over again.. "humility comes before honor". i see this evident in my life, not just in certain situations, but also in phases of life. maybe this is the humility phase of my life and honor will come later. it gives one hope - to look forward to the blessings of the future but also to know that what we're currently undergoing isn't way off base but is in line w/ Scripture.

i also love this from ps. 62:5 "find rest in God alone". what else am i finding rest (or trying to ) in?

lastly, this caught my attention, ps 106:31 paraphrasing here: Phinehas stood up for God and it was credited to him as righteousness. i love that phrase "credited to him as righteousness". that phrase was also used to describe Abraham's faith and Noah too, right?

invitation to run

every tuesday and thurday, i get an email in my inbox that invites me to run with the 5 at 5 group. they meet at 5am and run for 5 miles.
included in the email is an inspirational, motivational, or just random running related quote.

today's was: "Running is a big question mark that's there each and everyday. It asks you: Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?" - Peter Maher

now i HAVE to run today...

creative outlet

saw this post and was so inspired. it's a part of myself that i wish was more developed... the side that wants to journal and reflect: not on things that need to be done, but just on enjoying the moment with a heart of thanksgiving.

i see journals like that and think - 'oh that's nice that she has time to do that.' but they make time, just like i make time to run... there's beauty in so many things. may i take the time to enjoy it.

hum, maybe i'll make it over to michael's this weekend.

friday running

broke up my running:

ran 5.5miles at 5:30am
dropped my daughter off at school and then met up w/ a friend to do another 10 miles 1 min on/ 1 min off. so intense!! ran them sub 7's.
then did 4 miles walk/ run myself.

still have 5 miles left to go ;(

Paralympics 2008

Did you know they have a paralympics? Did you know that it's not the special olympics? by the way - major taboo to mix the two. paralympics is for physical handicaps, special olympics is for mental handicaps.

(slight digress there...)

they hold the paralympics right after the olympics... it's at the same place too. but there's hardly any coverage and i couldn't find any videos of it anywhere. it's unfortunate because it would encourage so many people to see these people rise above their life situations to accomplish something great.

i'd love to go to these games one day. seems much more about the true spirit of the olympics - no multi-million dollar advertising, no models, just raw willpower and ambition.

take a look.

Bible reading week 4

there is one point that i have been noticing and that is the idea that God is such a gracious and compassionate God. i was talking to someone the other day and mentioned i was reading the Bible. They commented that the OT was so full of laws and rules that it was hard to see the connection between the OT and NT. I'm not sure if it's because the conversation was so fresh in my mind but i have to say that i've gotten a very different impression of God while reading the OT. yes, Leviticus does talk about the rules that God has placed for the isrealites - but it's bookends emphasize God's compassion...to love God and to worship Him alone because He is a jealous God. (sorry, didn't write down the verse). i see that - even in judges - where God gives the isrealites over to their own desires and gives them a king and how God says that even though they weren't content w/ what God had given them, that He was still gracious to them and not to be afraid.

Another minor point --- while I'm not about to go into a political discussion (i'm trying to keep myself as far away from this controversial topic as possible), but i was reminded that in the beginning chapters of Judges, that God used Deborah as a judge to rule over the isrealites. so while only God knows what is going to happen in the '08 elections, i'm so grateful to know that God is in charge and that He has gone before us and has already choosen the next president.

Memorizing Scripture

I got a CD from here to help us with our Verse Memorization. The tune's catchy. our jewel likes one song that she wants to sing over and over and over again.
well, guess it can't help w/ my memorization...

"Relationships cost"

I was reading this recently and the phrase "relationships cost" struck a chord with me.

All relationships cost something - without the investment, that relationship just isn't going anywhere. what is the price i'm paying for my relationship w/ my man? with my jewel? is it enough? Jesus paid a heffy price to have a relationship w/ me.... relationships always cost something. what are my relationships worth to me?

Ps 90:17

17Let the ^(A)favor of the Lord our God be upon us;
And ^[a](B)confirm for us the work of our hands;
Yes, confirm the work of our hands.

This seem to be my prayer these days - that God would establish what He's giving me the grace and strength to do in the time that we spend on this earth. May it give God all glory and honor. Unto You oh Lord, unto You alone.

craft websites

i started to make burp clothes for a few friends and realized that i miss crafting.
got these websites from my sister and thought i'd make sure to note them for when i have more time

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/

http://angrychicken.typepad.com/angry_chicken/2007/06/this_house_is_w.html

http://littlesomething.myshopify.com/collections/embroidered-barrettes

http://4domesticdivas.blogspot.com/2007/10/girlie-hair-clips.html

1st ultra - bust!

looks like hurricane hanna just took away my first ultra ;) unfortunate in a way, and kind of relieved. thought it would be a good training run for my race in november.... oh well.

bug bites galore.

was sittin' in front of the house the other night and in just a short amount of time, i got roughly 10 bites on each foot. i even wore long pants so that i wouldn't get bitten -- except they went to my feet. ugh!!!! i've been looking for bug bite treatments on the internet, but nothing seems to be working!!!

Event of the weekend

lost my wedding rings on sunday and didn't realize it until midnight - got up at 6:30 the next morning to go look for it....

thank goodness we found it - they were just laying there on the sidewalk waiting for me to come by and pick them up. see, my man, there's a good reason for not cleaning the ring - if i did, it would have sparkled and someone else would have found them first :)

on a side note - lost the ring at the golf range... was getting a blister so i took them off. hum, hope that's not a bad "omen" for playing golf??? went for the first time in 10 years. i don't know - may pursue it a bit more; but then it's so expensive and time consuming .... hum....

quick spinach dip

ok - i'm on a not-very-healthy streak here, but so what, right?

spinach dip:
1 C mayo
1C parmesean
1 frozen packet of spinach - microwaved and juices squeezed out
1 small jar of chestnuts

mix and then serve w/ break or crackers

Easiest meatballs

i buy a big bag of meatballs from costco -
put in crockpot w/ 1:.5 ratio of BBQ sauce and grape jelly.
actually - it might be a bit more than 1/2, but you get the idea...
crockpot it for 5 hours on low and then there you have it - appetizer meatballs to please a crowd.

the joys of living w/ the folks

it's been several months since we've moved in with my parents.
we've really enjoyed it so far - REALLY! even my man. the house is large so everyone has their own space.

anyways - the other night i happen to mention that i wanted kimchee. two days later my parents stopped by the store and picked some up for me. hum... isn't that so nice?! it doesn't matter how old you get - you're still your parents' little girl.

if you're looking for encouragement... this is not it

i saw this and i just had to laugh at how real that seems to be in my life sometimes...

not the fun-laugh, but the cynical- ironic- late-at-night, tired-but-can't-go-to-sleep-because-you're-up-to-your-eyeballs-in-work laugh.

$600

$600 that's our average gas expense per month. crazy or what? we're not going anywhere outrageous - just work and church. this is CRAZY !!!

Week 1 Bible Reading

Wednesday marks the first day of our Bible reading -
i'm doing this w/ a group of ladies and once a week we're sending out an email w/ our comments.

i thought i'd try to post my thoughts here so i could keep track of them...

one motif that i want to try and follow this time around is this idea of east and west. i picked up on it a bit late in the game during my last reading, but there seemed to be a correlation between east = bad/ negative and west equated to good. ie. Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:24 " So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life."

is anyone else having a difficult time getting into job? i am. maybe it's because i've read / listened to it in various versions - but it seems to not flow together for me yet. has anyone figured out what the timeframe is for job? are we talking days? months? hum.. if anyone has any insights on job that might spark something for me, i'd love to hear it.

favorite things

one of my favorite things is finishing up a run and having the rest of the day to enjoy! LOVE IT!!

yesterday had a family dinner.
menu:
steaks (just used montreal seasoning) w/ au jus sauce
braised cabbage
baked beans.

turned out pretty well - esp since i was so tired and not really up for it.

6th anniversary

we're celebrating our 6th wedding year tomorrow.

no gifts or fancy smancy stuff. dinner at a new restaurant. and my husband PROMISED to finish our budget and paint our furniture. ahhh, what loyalty and devotion. only found in a husband.
happy 6th dear man.

running this weekend

was short both days, but after i write this i am determined not to think anymore about it!
friday, was supposed to do 25, did 20. saturday was supposed to do 7, did 6 (this was careless miscalculations on my part). ... but still bugged that i was short.

the week was full!

work spoke for the majority of the week.
poor man had some things that took him to the doctors a few times this week.
tomorrow's supposed to do 25. so tired - don't know if i'll make it.

too tired to think....

weekend blues

i say the blues because it's 9 minutes to midnight on sunday and in a few minutes my weekend will be officially over. :(

my running's not going that well. friday - was supposed to do 25 and instead only did 17. thought about doing another 8 that night, but well, just didn't. took our jewel to the farm that afternoon and by the time i got home from the farm, then walmart, then costco, .. you get the picture. running was the last thing i wanted to do.

saturday, slept in til 7 (sweet!) and then went for 8 mile run. had shepherd group over for lunch - went asian style. went over pretty nicely - considering there were about a dozen kids running around. the weather was so nice that the boys went outside -- our jewel following after to try and "steal" the ball.

sunday, my man's been sick all weekend - :( hope it's nothing serious, but it sounds like a doctor's trip tomorrow is to be expected. after church, spent the greater part of the evening working.

so i think i'll call it a night now and head off to bed.

beets part 2

meant to do the full recipe (see posting from wednesday), but completely ran out of time this weekend so i ended up just roasting them with EVOO, salt and pepper. turned out ratherly nicely. think i'll slice them up for salad this week.

steven curtis chapman part 2

saw the larry king live show on the chapman family - first time i've seen larry king's show i think. larry king - didn't care for his interviewing style. came across as one w/o compassion, kept interrupting them and did you notice that whenever they talked about God, he tried to steer the interview by asking a non-God question. obviously that about every question.

at the end he said "good luck with the healing". he SOOO did not get it!

two random thoughts for today

1. i'm a magnet for bug bites, they LOVE my blood. my man says that my legs look like i have the measles. - Nice!

2. we went to buy uniforms for our jewel this afternoon and i can't believe how grown up she looks in them. our little one is growing up... sniff sniff.

Beet recipe

so i've been trying to figure out what to do w/ my beets.
the beet leaves are long gone (in my spaghetti sauce - w/ no one the wiser). i was going to juice them, but these days i've been craving burgers over juice - go figure.
but i saw this and i'm quite eager to try it. i'm not sure about the horseradish, but i think i'm going to give it a go this weekend... i'll let you know how it turns out.

Louis L'Amour

i just finished book two in the sackett series: to the far blue mountains. i'm really getting into this series. surprising since i'm not really into western books or really into history, but it's been engaging.

the classics

i finally finished jane eyre.
also watched persuasion (2007 version). both good. both sad when it ended.

just because..

i worked til 2:30 am, then go up at 7:30 the next morning and went for a run.

i can't wait to go to sleep early tonight.... was my thought. but i realize that i say that every night and it never happens....

"seeing things for what they really are"

i heard this in a sermon about a week ago and i've been pondering it, meditating on it, and praying through it all week. it's funny how our perspective can get so screwy when we're fixated on ourselves and our problems. or how we can see our situation through the world's views because of the sin that so easily entangles us.

i've been praying for a godly perspective. a God-oriented look on life, on family, on work, on self.

week's run

was a joke.
i think having a track workout on thursday and then trying to follow it up w/ a long run the next day isn't doing me any good.
i was supposed to do 23 miles and instead i only got to 13.5.
it didn't help that friday's weather at 9am was suffocatingly humid.

couldn't run today since my man's out of town on a guy's weekend excursion. thought about running the long run on sunday, but i might just count this week as a loss and go short tomorrow. ugh..

i've got to rearrange my schedule or i'll never make it.

Beef Provencale

tried this tonight and it turned out pretty well. although it involved a few more steps then i would have liked considering it's a slow cooker recipe. but it was good.

a rustic, french dish. wish i had some good french bread to go along side it. (esp. since i didn't serve up the noodles w/ it).

Donuts!

Can't wait to try this:

http://fracturedprune.com/index.php

Update on my friend

stats:
10 - represents the number of blisters - one under EVERY toe.
0 - represents the amount of sleep she got that night. - why? because she was in too much pain to sleep.
91.6 - represents the number of miles she got in in 24 hours.
3 - represents her overall rank in the race
0 - represents the number of times she left the course.
(FYI - you can leave the course to go to your hotel room which is on the course if you need to change/ take a cat nap, etc).
26 - represents the number of laps she did

she called me before she got off the plane and asked if i wanted to go for an easy 1 hour jog w/ her. (that was 3 days later). i think i would still be passed out.

FYI - not a good idea...

My goodness.
Doesn't take common sense to say it's not a good idea.

how depressing

i checked my running schedule today and from here on out, 20 is my shortest long run. next week i have to do a 23 miler and then it's just upwards from there. once i hit 30, then the mileage for the day before my long run increases until i've got two days doing 30/20 back to back. ugh...

long run

first 20 miler of the season.... done.
nice.

ultra marathons

as we speak my dear running friend is running her 3rd 24 hour race.
she's shooting to get in 120 miles.
it's hard for me to wrap my mind around that - running all through the night, can you?

part of me is so proud of her and part of me is sad for her. this drive that she has to fulfill a goal; to make herself feel good about an accomplishment. what drives one to do that?
i wish so much for her to know God, really know Him, you know?
to taste the salvation grace that is only found in Him and to know that she is loved and accepted by an Almighty powerful Savior...

my thoughts are w/ her tonight.

online shopping

Such cute things they have...
check them out.

something to tuck away for a rainy day

saw this and thought it was pretty cool. might want to look into it later, when our jewel is older.
it's a geography curriculum. i like the way it's set up. and it seems like a fun way to learn.

whining

weather stinks. it's 91 degrees and i've got to go for a run. see me procrastinating??

Another book finished

i just finished a memory keeper's daughter (i'm a bit behind in my book club reading)..
it was ok, but i didn't really like the ending. it wasn't a nice neat package w/ a bow tie type of ending. i wanted to the main character to make things right w/ his family. it would have been nice if the couple got back to together. instead, the family is left to pick up the pieces.

it's so sad how secrets can hurt a relationship. it makes me think of the verse in proverbs that talks about the things done in the dark. how the world doesn't see that the Truth will set you free.

You think I'm crazy?!

check this out:
http://www.the100mileman.com/

he decided to run a 100 mile race, training for only 90 days!!!

ugh! the heat is driving me nuts.

i had a really rough run this morning. actually, a walk/ run. i dropped our jewel off at school and then hit the trails around 8:30. by the time i finished at 10 it had already reached well into the 90's.
i wasn't dehydrated but i definitely felt a bit out of it when i got back to the car.
i heard after the fact, that the air quality wasn't that great and it was a code red... and not to go outdoors. no, duh?!!

tomorrow i'll have to start early to get in the run before the heat becomes unbearable.

50k sign up

just signed up for a 50K (about 30 miles). at least that gets one long run out of the way.

so far, it looks like my racing schedule is as follows:

50K in september
marathon in october
50M in november.

i might sign up for a 20K somewhere in there cause there's one close by the house... but other than that i think i'm set for hte rest of the year :)

more smoothies

had a peach banana smoothie this morning w/ beet greens.
honestly, beet greens are a bit too earthly and it overwhelmed the rest of the flavors.

i might make it again tomorrow just to make sure i get my raw veggie intake, but it wasn't my favorite.

tip #15: here's an obvious one

don't eat ramen at 10:30 pm before you go to bed.
it tasted so good going down, but now my tummy looks like i'm 4 months pregnant...

What's in your milk?

an interesting video regarding rBGH found in milk.

something to think about the next time you grab a gallon at the store.

50 miler pondering

they're not allowing any sort of personal listening devices. i was planning on putting the Bible on my ipod and going at it. now what am i going to do for 12-14 hours????

Music website

wanted to share a website my man introduced me to: it's a great way to learn of other songs in the same genre. the way it works is this - you enter in an artist or song. the website will play that and then also compile other songs into a neat little playlist. now they need to be able to transfer it onto an ipod.

my ponderings

ever since i got back from canada - i've been fascinated with the natives of the canadian territories.
ok - first i had to open up an atlas and see where the territories are.
canada is broken up into provinces and territories - the territories are in the north: yukon, northwest territory, and nunavut. many natives trace back to the inuits.
i've been scavenging you tube for clips of the people and how they live - what the area looks like and what kinds of cities they have.
in my research, i've stumbled across throat singing - i vaguely remember it from my mission's trip to mongolia years ago. this is what i remember. it's a little odd at first - but after several you tube clips, it kind of grows on you.

seems such a fascinating place -
my man, wanna go there for our trip next year?

you could go ice fishing :)

pictures from PEI

- our anne


















- a view from our cottage











- the lake of shining waters


















- can i stay at green gables?










- a celebration of 100 years of anne.

Chicken and kale enchiladas

so yum! everyone loved it - even the non-vegetable lovers in the household.

i just sauted the kale in some olive oil and onions. took off the stove and mixed in some shredded cheese. then added this mixture to the chicken before rolling up each one in the pan. everything was the same for a typical enchiladas.

50 miler

i signed up last week - there's no turning back now!
training has been fair - need to pick up the mileage.

am looking forward to more books on tape :)

Prince Edwards Island

We just got back from a 5 day trip to Anne Land.

"Look at that sea, girls--all silver and shadow and vision of things not seen. We couldn't enjoy its loveliness any more if we had millions of dollars and ropes of diamonds."
- L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

It was just like that - an idyllic island with rolling hills, lush scenery and the smell of the ocean wherever you go (unless you smelled cow manure). it was just gorgeous. we kept talking about one day buying a house here. the islanders are so friendly and the pace of life there was in keeping with the Avonlea series.

Here's the break out of our trip:
Day one - get settled in after all of the logistics of car rentals, finding the cottage, etc.
We stayed at an off the road cottage called: Evening Primose owned by two ladies. just darling.
We went into 'town' for dinner - Charlottetown. At "Fishbones" we had fish and chips.
was so tasty. the freshness of the fish there - wow! what a difference.

Day two
We went to Victoria by the Sea and had the best lobster rolls at Landmark Cafe.
Victoria-by-the-sea is a quaint little - and i mean little - town of 3 blocks up and 3 blocks out.
it's right a dock. we had lunch there and hung out at the "beach". the beaches in PEI are not like what we're used to down here.
when we got there, there was no beach because of the high tides. a few hours later after the tides receded, we had a beach :) it was amazing how quickly the water receded. in an hour, we had a beach of 30/40 yards.

in the evening, we went a brit's fish and chips pub. really really really great fish and chips place in charlottetown. followed by the anne of green gables musical. i was following asleep during the 2nd half but our little jewel was dancing and clapping along like no body's business :)

Day three
We left darling Evening Primose and went to the Dunes at Brackley Beach for lunch. this place was quite eclectic. it had an arizona feel to it w/ south asian influences if you can imagine that. so there were wood statues of animals everywhere, next to hindu gods and buddhas. outside, they had an extensive garden again w/ lots and lots of buddhas and hindu gods. the food was a bit too out there for my man, but my crab cake was awesome!

Then we went to Green Gables and walked through Lover's Lane and the just briefly the Haunted Hollows. They had homemade ice cream to welcome the guests to this national park.

In the evening, we went to New Glasgow Lobster Super.
One of the best lobster supers on the island, we were told. the way it works is you order your lobster by size and then everything else is all you can eat. it's a 5 course meal. soup to start (seafood chowder or beef vegetable), then mussels (these were awesome! and i don't even like mussels), bread and salad, then the lobster, and then dessert. yummers!
PEI's known for several things: anne (of course), lobster, mussels, oysters, and potatoes. we got to have a taste of each of these to our shear delight :)
but honestly after tasting some really good lobster, we decided that while we appreciate it and did enjoy it, lobster's a bit overrated.

after dinner, we checked into our second location: a view to sea cottages at Darnley. the view certainly was breathtaking. it was right by the water. quiet, quaint, and clean. they had a playground in the backgard so our jewel would run out there to play while we just sat and enjoyed the ocean front view.

Day four:
we went to the anne of green gables festival. it was held at avonlea village. they made a little village to replicate many of the stores/ buildings in the book. a few of the buildings were brought from other parts of the island for preservation (ie. Schoolhouse was a real school house that l.m. montgomery taught in for a year at belmont and church where l.m. montgomery belonged to - but which is now theatre in the avonlea village). they had lots of raspberry cordial and picnic lunches. they also had matthew's carriage ride. we left around lunch time. picked up a few sandwiches at the local mart and headed back to our cottage to enjoy the view. we came back to the festival to enjoy the evening performance where they did a storytelling/ musical show of the history of the island. afterwards we went to sam's restaurant for dinner - but honestly it wasn't anything to write home about.

day five:
we packed up our things and headed back into cavendish to enjoy the morning in avonlea village (for the weekend festival) before we had to head back home. it was such fun. our jewel enjoyed dressing up like anne in their dress up room. you got to dress up in character and they had little stage areas where you could take pictures of scenes from the book.
on the way to the airport, we got lunch at PEI's preserve co. in New Glasgow. it was such a beautiful lunch place right by the water. they had a country garden you could meander through as well. the mussels were my man's favorite there. i had a wonderful potato pie. nothing ordinary about that one.

we had to say farewell to the purple and magenta lupins (wildflowers you see EVERYWHERE), great hospitality of the islanders, winds rippling over the lush green grass, and the lake of shining waters. it was the first time i felt like i wasn't ready for my vacation to be over.
until next time...

tip #15 running

are you running enough? too fast? too slow?

the heart rate monitor is a great addition to have as your running companion. nowadays they have some really affordable ones on the market (nike makes one for $20 that i saw at costco a few months ago).
what is good about it is that you can monitor your heart rate as you run. as you increase your miles, you want to think about running at such a pace that you're working in your zone two. zone two is the zone your fat burning is at it's max. you're not going all out and so your recovery isn't taking as long. you're not going so slow that your don't get a work out.

it also helps you to start listening to your body and how it reacts to various factors (ie. weather, incline, what you ate, etc... )

here's a website to get you started on some additional research:
http://www.marathonguide.com/training/articles/HeartMonitorTraining.cfm

personally, i use the Garmin 305. it's awesome! my running best friend. there's a lot more to this watch then i need/ use. but i like that i can download my runs, analyze my running, keep a historical track of everything, and at the very least, it tells me how long i went and how far.

smoothies!!

i've made some really great tasting drinks in the last couple of days so i wanted to share:

1. My green smoothie:
frozen strawberries
banana
collard greens (de-stemed)
two peaches

2. Refreshing smoothie:
mint
pineapple
strawberries
coconut meat and coconut water
kale (de-stemed)

3. Melon delight:
watermelon
coconut meat
coconut water
mint

so tasty and good for you too :)
hope you'll give them a try.

tip #14 vaccines

ok, i know this is a controversial topic and honestly i have to admit that i'm not definite on my position yet. but one thing that i would strongly encourage is this - let's try to do some research and be educated parents about this, heh?

i know that there are conflicting studies, maybe we need to be reading those studies (and not use the reason, "it's what everyone else does"bit). some studies seem to indicate ADD and autism connections and other studies say it's not conclusive. but shouldn't we read them for ourselves to see what they say and if they have any merit to them? (ie. was the study performed valid? did they have a control group? did they have a skewed result? was their selection comprehensive or was it biased? etc.)

perhaps it's beneficial to read the other sides' reasons. at least that way you know what they're saying and not just dismiss in mass the opponents' views because it's weird.

(ok, i think by now you know where i stand on vaccines...) but i guess my main point is to encourage parents to do their due diligence before they make a decision. it's an important issue that could affect the health of your child.

happy thinking!

tip#13 bug bites

a natural way to take care of bug bites:
make a baking soda paste - 3 tsp BS and 1 tsp h20.
apply to infected area as often as needed.

stay safe!

weekend business

we just got back from a weekend trip to NYC. it's always a fun blessing to be able to go hang out there. we go every year for my man's firm's picnic. it's blast of great food, rides for the kiddos, and just baskin' in the sun.
it's an added bonus to see my sister and her family. my nephew (who by the way is one BIG baby - 3 months and 17 lbs) brings our jewel such delight!

by now, you might have picked up on my obsession w/ food. everywhere we go, one of my big goals is to fine noteworthy restaurants that grab my attention. usually this entails no franchises and high quality food at reasonable prices w/o the pretentious air of stuffiness. unfortunately, this time around, we didn't hit any special restaurant highlights worth sharing. however, i was able to get in some fabulous runs along the hudson river and just enjoy being the serenity of a beautiful sunrise.

kids say the darnest things

it had been a long week of early morning runs before work, etc, etc...
i was tired and frustrated w/ everything that needed to be done before bible study at our house that night. i still needed to make a snack and do the dishes - so i tried to pop a video in to entertain our jewel for a bit while i tried to get some stuff done. and the dvd didn't work.
i was so frustrated and you could see my temperature rising as i stood there hitting all the buttons harder and harder... and our jewel just popped her head in under my arms and said "it's ok mama, daddy can fix it, don't worry, it's going to be O.K.". i just had to laugh.... thanks dear.

week two of fresh veggies

my veggies are all gone! in one day! except for the green onions which i'll probably use up today.
here's what we got:

asparagus ( i made a warm asparagus salad w/ a walnut vinaigrette)
cilantro (which we don't eat so i'll give away)
stawberries (all gone!)
green onions - to be used up today
snow peas - saute korean style and now all gone too :)

already waiting for next week's shipment :)

tip#12: Grass fed cows - is it better?

YES! The meat from grass fed cows is far superior to what they sell you in the stores now. why?

1. grass fed cows are out in pastures more - not cooped up in pens
2. grain fed cows - are generally fed corn. corn's cheap and while it beefs them up, there's not a lot of nutritional value in the meat.
3. grass fed cows do taste gamier - which isn't necessarily a bad thing - probably more of an adjustment. but honestly, isn't that the way it's supposed to taste?
4. grass fed cow meat has less saturated fat
5. grass fed cow meat also has a higher level of Omega 3.

cows ate grass until man introduced the whole grain thing as a cheap substitute.

check out the local butcher in your area. if you don't have one nearby, you can order it too:
http://www.lacensebeef.com/

upright freezer

we need to get one. i think we're going to finally take the plunge and go in on a cow w/ some friends. just started doing research on the freezers and just not sure what to get. is one really superior to another? it seems size and convenience of shelving/ drawers are the top items on the list for comparisons... but is there anything else i should be considering??

things change...

i remember being so efficient in the past. was one of my strengths. i'd get everything done and i'd have to time organize and everything. these days - my organization skills has been wanting. so what's happened? do i have more on my plate? or have i lost that skill??? i'm not sure, but it's quite irritating.

tip #11: Air freshners

Beware of air fresheners that use alcohol (which most do) as it's not a good thing for your body to be inhaling. consider using natural ways to freshen up your house - boil some orange peels and cinnamon sticks instead. if you're afraid of the stove being on , you can always just put it in a crock pot.

Warm kale salad

check out the recipe under "first week of CSA" comments.
it turned out really well -
i cooked the bacon in a pan and after taking the bacon out, i cooked the onion in the bacon fat, and then threw in the wine and kale -- all in the bacon fat. my man enjoyed it thoroughly, but admitted that if it wasn't for the bacon he probably wouldn't have eated it.
personally, i wasn't a fan of the bacon, but it's enough to know he enjoyed it!

so, in two dishes my kale is already gone and i can't wait for next week's delivery for more kale!
i want to try this:

smoothie:
Kale
apple
pear
flax seed
coconut water

doesn't that sound delicious?!!
can't wait!!

first week of CSA

i'm excited about all the greens we're going to get in our farm delivery this week... so i ordered a book: Green for life
and i'm eager to try smoothies w/ my farm veggies :) yummers!

i'll let you know how they turn out.

tip #10: cod liver oil

this oil is great for vitamin d, vitamin a, and omega 3. it's a great supplement to incorporate into your diet. when we first started taking this, we got the original flavor. well, years later, they have orange and lemon :)

we use:
http://www.spectrumsupplements.com/en/c323776/index.html?gclid=CNeR4KuRz5MCFQx2GgodyBUQjA

it's definitely not as fishy as the ones we've had in the past. in fact, our jewel loves it so much that she always wants seconds and i have to tell her not until tomorrow :(

give it a try if you can :)

Still unpacking!

after giving away stuff, trips to the thrift store, we still have so much stuff!!! where is it all coming from? i've been unpacking for almost a week and it looks like i haven't made a dent. are you kidding me?!

since we've moved in w/ the folks, we have boxes of items we won't be using (kitchenware, etc..) but i still have to open them just to make sure -- and then i pack it up again. so along a wall stands boxes and boxes and BOXES of things.

and i'm still looking for my room fragrance a week later! ugh...

Tip - Don't forget your sunblock

i went for a run yesterday and completely forgot about sunblock. two hours later - came home w/ a burn. paying for it today ;(

Prayers for the Chapman family

I thought this was a good article - not sure where she stands in her faith, but it was thoughtful writing:
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/05/22/maria-sue-chapman-rip-2003-2008/

So weary!

My husband has 4 finals and a paper to write all this week.
He had one last night, then one Saturday, 2 Sunday, and one Monday.

Meanwhile, I've been packing/ moving/ cleaning. The tenants are coming in tomorrow so we HAVE to be out of here today. well, it's raining and I just gave our jewel some lunch and I am already so exhausted. I look around at all that needs to be done and I feel so weary.

Lord, help!

What a day!

I finally have time to sit down to blog this one and this one's going in the books!
Sunday - got up at 3am, went to a race, race my leg of the relay and then kept running. (we ended up doing about 19 miles), came home, took a 2 hour nap, then moved. a friend called to say she was up from FL, so at 9pm, went out to see her. my head finally hit the pillow at 1am.

the last time i was this physically exhausted was child birth...

we're still packing a few more things before we finally clear out/ my man's got 3 finals this week.
can't wait for this week to end!!

Disbelief in the Power?

this morning's sermon was in acts - about peter and john who healed the crippled beggar (acts 3) through the name of Jesus. the preacher was talking about the impact of a church - but my mind was far away.

during this morning's sermon i got to pondering something: why don't i pray for miracles? do i not believe in the power that is in the name Jesus. don't I believe that just even saying the name "Jesus" evokes a supernatural victory that can only be through His pure, cleansing blood?

i grew up in an orthodox presbyterian church - but when i got to college - i was exposed to more charismatic forms of worship. i think that it got me a bit disillusioned with the charismatic movement and i find myself being quite skeptical. it can be a slippery slope to chaos, i guess... so somewhere along the road, i stopped praying for miracles. and that seemed to lead to disbelief that God still moves in that way - at least around these parts of the country).

so rather than listening to the sermon this morning, i started praying.
praying for my man. praying for miracles. praying for belief.

tip #9 The beauty of broth

Most of us know that soup is good for us and I know with the summer months coming up, we probably won't have as much soup - but i wanted to share this anyways.

Broth properly made is wonderful for our bodies. It's got the marrow from the bones that will give us the added calcium that we all need.

Broth properly made:
start out w/ really good ingredients - free range (grass fed) beef; or free range chicken. (no hormones, no drugs, no grain fed animals please).

add your veggies (onions, celery, carrots, etc) and herbs.

all of this goes into COLD filtered water. cover and bring to a boil. ok, now once it boils, you want to drop the temperature low and then barely a simmer for at least 24 hours. this is KEY! repeat: low heat over an extended period of time is extremely important to making good broth. i've let it go as long as 36 hours before - a few times even 2 days :) often times i'll do this in a slow-cooker. a sign of good broth is when it's cool, it'll be gelatinous.
i make a huge pot and then freeze it for various recipes that cool for stock.

hope you'll make some stock this week. your body will be grateful :)

Books: my running companion 2008

I've been listening to books on cd during my runs, so I thought i'd keep a running record of the books:

Finished:
1. Jubal Sackett by Louis L'Amore ( i really liked this one. it was quite engaging and took me through some LONG runs)
2. A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle (it was quaint)
3. Once upon a summer by Janette Oke (was easy listening. and cute. sometimes i'd walk just to listen to it more)
4. A year down yonder by Richard Peck (this was good too. took me a couple of chapters to get into it, but i enjoyed it).
5. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

Currently listening to:
The Holy Bible.


Started to listen to but never finished:
1. Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns. (stopped in the middle of chapter 2 - just couldn't get into it for some reason).
2. A world lit only by fire by William Manchester (history - not my forte, and esp. hard for me to follow when i'm running - i found myself zoning out a lot).
3. A country year by Sue Hubbell (it's about a beekeeper in the northwest, i think.. but couldn't get into this one either... wasnt' as interesting for me).

There seems to be a running theme in the title of the books - i seem to gravitate towards books about a year of something. hummm... odd.

Tip #8 Plastic

This week's tip is a cope out.
Cope out because i don't have a lot of time, so i'm going to piggyback off of a Today show segment.

http://www.healthob servatory. org/library. cfm?RefID= 102296

http://www.iatp. org/iatp/ publications. cfm?accountID= 421&refID=102202

Have you ever flipped over the plastic to see what type it is? there's usually a triangle with a number inside it and it basically tells you the type of material that was used in the plastic.

in a nutshell, #1,2,4,and 5 are safe. 3,6, and 7 not so much. The main concern is BPA - bisphenol A. It's a harmful chemical (studies say it can lead to cancer or genetic defects).
check your plastic drawer and see what you've got.

the 20 min misnomer

lately a lot of people have been saying to me " you ONLY need 20 minutes for..."
only 20 minutes of weights
only 20 minutes to read a book
only 20 minutes to eat cook more at home
only 20 minutes of more running...
(do you know adds up? AND did you notice that it's never JUST 20 minutes?)

OK - i have to say, it's getting a bit old. implicit in that statement is - you're not being efficient and you can be more efficient w/ your time.

here's my answer..
i get up, i get breakfast, do my QT, go to work, when i get home (depending on the day), i get the meal ready (whether it's lunch or dinner)... then i get our jewel ready for bed (night time or nap time), during which time i work or run. when she gets up, i get the next meal ready, we play a bit, and then it's bed time for her and i put in a few more hours of work. then i go to bed at midnight. that's the majority of my week. on friday mornings, i run errands, in the afternoon, i try to clean the house and spend time w/ our jewel. that's my week. the weekends, the time is spent between church, running, and family time. you tell me where my 20 minutes is going to come from...

ok, i'm done venting.

vitamin B12

i've been taking it for a few days.. to help w/ my memory.

the other night i was so excited to tell my man what i saw on tv. i thought he's really appreciate it.
midway through the second sentence, he takes my face in his hands and says - " we saw this together, remember -- i'm the one that showed it to you on youtube?!"

so much for improved memory... ha ha ha

tip #8 sweetners

organic sugar, raw sugar, sugar substitutes, you see them all over the place. but are they really better for you? it is healthy? is organic sugar better than granulated sugar?

it's amazing, you stick the word organic on something and all of a sudden people think it's healthy... but let's be reminded that at the end of the day, it's still processed sugar. oh the wonders of marketing.

remember - the key word in "artificial sweeteners" is artificial. it's man-made. it does havoc on your system because your body doesn't know how to process it. might as well be eating plastic.... (my two cents :)) if you have to choose- its better to go for the regular sugar. at least it has it's roots in nature.

so what kinds of sweeteners should we consider?
honey/ maple syrup:
have you ever considered substituting you sugar in baked goods for maple syrup or honey?
note: maple syrup has different grades. most of what you'll find in the store is grade A. that means it's highly processed. go for grade B. honey - try to get "really raw" honey as it's better than what you'll find in the store.

stevia:
this is a plant extract that they've turned into powder. i've found that it has an aftertaste though that's similar to those artificial sweeteners so i'm not a big fan.

blue agave:
also a plant extract. quite sweet. it has a bit of a molasses flavor to it.

obviously all of the above can turn into something that's just as processed as sugar so you just need to watch for the quality of whatever you're getting. the key is to try and get items as unrefined as possible.

it's encouraging when...

we're driving down the street and all of a sudden hear the sounds of the ambulance driving by, our jewel yells, "oh an an-n-lance, let's pray, mama".

warms the heart!

Running for a social cause

I saw this article on CNN and thought it was so cool:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/04/02/heroes.mahlum/index.html

tip #7 More supplements

I've never been one for supplements. I always felt like you should get it from it's original source... well, I find it's hard to do because I would need to eat a LOT of stuff that i don't find appealing! so here's a list of recommended supplements.

Vitamin B-12:
I find that since i've given birth that my memory has gone down hill BIG TIME!
Vitamin B-12 is great for memory improvement.
If you eat liver, than you're probably good - but not high on my shopping list.

Magnesium:
It's helpful for the digestive system. It's also great for the heart and the overall health of cells.
Be careful with this as high doses can give you diarrhea.

CoQ10:
Helps promote heart. If you have heart disease in the family -this is definitely worth considering!
If you eat heart - then you're covered - but again, not high on my shopping list; i'd rather take the supplement.

Cod Liver Oil:
Promotes healthy skin and high levels of Vitamin A,D and omega 3.

Flax Seed:
Has lignans - good for the heart. Also has omega 3.

Strontium:
Good for the bones.
A side tip - good quality broth is excellent for the bones. You want to make sure you have good quality bones and you cook it on low for a really long time to make sure you get the marrow out of the bones. (a good sign of good broth is if it's gelatinous when it's cool).

Check it out if you get a chance... but make sure you get good quality supplements.
Quality name brands include: garden of life, Now Foods, are a few that I know.
www.iherb.com

tip #6 MSM

methylsulfonylmethane - basically a sulfur compound used to help improve the joints.

i recently started taking this for my joints.
ever since my pregnancy i've had back pains and my running hasn't helped it. in 4 years i've slept a full night maybe 3-4 times and those times, it was only because i had so much wine w/ my hubby that the alcohol knocked me out for 8 hours! but usually i sleep in 3-4 hour increments, waking up due to back pain.

so i'm hoping that this supplement will help. i mix 1/4tsp into my smoothie each morning. (i think it's supposed to be 2x a day) but i keep forgetting.

this one's a relatively new topic for me so i'm still doing some research, but thought i'd share.

tip #5: the wonders of baking soda

Ok, if you're getting sick of hearing me talk about juicing, then here's a topic for you - the ever versatile white stuff... baking soda. i love this stuff. it's non-toxic, there's no deathly odor, your kid could eat a carton of this stuff and still be alive... but it's enough to clean your laundry, your bathroom tub, your toilets, the stove top, etc.

• i put in a scope full into the washer w/ a scope of oxy clean.
  
• combine baking soda w/ vinegar and you've got a disinfectant cleaner
• mix a TBL of it in a cup of water and stick it in the microwave on high for about 1 min to 1.5 min. then just take a paper towel and wipe off the spattering baking soda/ water mixture.
  
• sometimes, if i'm running behind in my cleaning, i just dump some B.S. into the toilet
  

i know there's other ways you can use this - but the above is what gets me to Costco to get the gallon size.

enjoy!

GOAL!

Yes!
finally did 18 today!! sweet relief!

thank you's

#5 thank you, Jesus for moments of catching up w/ my man over french bread, brie, and white wine.
#6 thank you Jesus for the joy our jewel gets over listening to live music. mesmerized by the drummer, clapping along, shaking her long brown hair w/ the beat of the music.

Thankfulness

I've been visiting: Holy Experience
and was reminded of the importance of gratitude to a Holy God. so i wanted to start my own list of things that I'm thankful for.

#1 blood of Jesus that justifies and sanctifies
#2 my man
#3 our jewel
#4 the loyalty of family

tip #4: juicing part 2

i wanted to share w/ you a couple of key combinations and why they're so good for you.
while it's something to work up to because i know it's adjustment to the palate, it'll be one healthy choice that you'll reap benefits from for years to come :)

1. carrot/ spinach. (zpprox. 2/1 ratio). the carrot juice is an excellent source of vitamin A. carrot juice is especially beneficial for the nursing mother as it enhances the quality of the milk. spinach juice is excellent for the improvement (both healing and cleansing) of the digestive tract. It's also a good source of Vitamin C and E.

2. beets is particularly beneficial to women as it helps build up your blood. please remember w/ beets though that you should take it in small quantities as it's pretty potent. it's recommended to drink carrot/ beet juice (5-6 carrots to 1 beet).

3. carrot/ dandelion is also excellent. dandelion is a fantastic tonic.

i have also regularly juiced the following combos:

1. carrot/ beet/ spinach
2. carrot/ cucumber/ apple
3. carrot/ celery/ spinach

disclaimer again - not a doctor and not pretending to be. if you have medical issues - please see your physician. this is just my 2 cents on my experiences so please take w/ a grain of salt.

sigh!

weariness of the soul has been plaguing me these last couple of weeks. it's been an emotional roller coaster w/ various things going on in our lives - between work, our living situation, etc, etc etc.

i've been pondering how my day seems to get so cluttered w/ stress and then God seems to take a back seat - almost an afterthought as my head hits the pillow. i know what the right answer is and yet i don't seem to follow through. this desire to seek God, know God, love God - but in the end, i seem to try and do things myself.

exasperated. flustered. heavy burdened.

come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. (Matt 11:28)

improvements are nice!

i PR'd this weekend. did 39:56 at a 5 miler.

can i use that as an excuse for not meeting my mileage goal this week?
remember how i'm supposed to do 18/10. still haven't done it - this weekend it was 7/11.

Tip #2C smoothies and beyond...

another follow up to smoothies...

1.traditionally, when you make a smoothie, you wash the ingred, take out the seeds, peel the fruit, etc... right? well, ,w/ the vita mix, i don't do it (depending on the ingred). of course i still wash everything, but i throw in the strawberry leaves, the melon seeds, the pineapple core, etc...
they all have added nutritional value. however, you can't do this w/ a regular household blender. well, you can, but a regular blender isn't going to liquify it like the vitamix will so you'll eat chunks of seeds which i don't really care for.
(keep in mind that there are some things you can't do - ie. i wouldn't do the avocado seed, or the pineapple rind, etc...)

2. what is a superfood?
according to wiki, "A superfood is a type of food believed to have health benefits beyond those of more common foods due to specific phytonutrient content."

what are examples of superfoods?
blueberries, blackberries, avocados, flax seed, hemp oil, coconut

i generally will add one of 4 things into my smoothie to give it a boost:
flax seed (do not get ground flax seed, there's no nutritional value left it in. get the whole and put it into your vitamix), coconut, coconut oil, or spinach.
the great thing about spinach from the store (not farm grown) is that it has very little taste and so it just turns it green but if you put the smoothie in an opaque bottle, no one will be the wiser. i tried to use spinach i got from our CSA farm last summer and it wasn't great because the spinach is soo fresh that i could taste the spinach. (what does that say about the quality of store spinach??).

flax seed give it a nutty flavor,
coconut and pineapple combo give it a pina colada flavor.

i've also added kefir to the smoothie - which is a completely different taste. more to come on kefir, but i would say, make it, don't buy it. what you buy in the store (kefir or yogurt) has TONS of sugar!

Tip #2b Vitamix

The VitaMix is a commerical grade blender.

http://vitamix.com/

but if you check out their website, it's pretty pricey. Costco has a bi-annual promo where they sell the blender for about $350 a pop.

IF you're thinking that you're going to have a smoothie at least 3 time a week, then i think it's definitely worth the buy. however, as my man always reminds me, don't get sucked into those infomercials... so just consider it.

let me just tell you a few of the things that i've used the vitamix for:
1. smoothies (obviously)
2. juicing (but honestly, get a juicer - you have to have a certain liquid solid ratio if you're going to try and use this for it).
3. peanut butter/ almond butter. ok, here's my secret (public now, i guess), i sneak in flax seed and almonds into the peanut butter and NO ONE'S the wiser. please remember w/ this though that the oil in the nuts does go rancid, so keep it in the fridge and it won't last months like what you get in the stores.
3. ice cream. it's really yum! i use fresh strawberries and it's been such a nice, healthy treat in the summer time.
4. soup. i think i've only done this a couple of times as i prefer to use a crock pot, but what i do like about this feature is that you can use fresh ingred. (ie carrots) and because they're not heated to the same degree as on the stove, you retain more of the live enzymes than if you cook everything on the stove.
5. salad dressing. you know how when you make dressing, you have to be careful w/ the oil because it needs to emulsify? well, not w/ the vitamix. i just stick everything in - (don't mince up the garlic). and it does everything for you.

oh and clean up? i just put in some hot water, dishwash detergent and then run it on the blender again. it gets to the stuff around the blade. rinse, and then i put it on the rack to dry. done! so simple!!

Tip: running comments

in response to a comment, thought i'd post some suggestions.

running is like life in that you have peaks and valleys, and some times plateaus. honestly, i'm on a plateau right now myself. i can't seem to get past 15 miles. if you notice my earlier posts, it seems every weekend, my goal has been 18 - but it ends up only being 15. why is that? is it psychological? is there a wall in our heads that says don't go past this mile marker because if you do, you will die???

the funny thing is, i've run more than 15 lots of times before -- so why should it be different now? our bodies' are funny things sometimes, huh?

so what are some suggestions i've done in the past or heard of:
1. my BIGGEST help has been running w/ others. i have a running friend who has saved me from countless runs that i wouldn't have done other wise, whether it was running a longer distance or running at all.
2. accidentalpastor's wife
has been reading two books a month and i've been so envious because i just can't seem to carve out any time to read, so i've taken some of her book recommendations and i've gotten them on cd. so i "read" while i run. it's been great!
3. break up the run. do a couple of miles in the morning and a few at night. or for each mile, walk 2 minutes. sometimes, you just need that break inbetween.
4. if your goal is 5 miles, purposely run out 2.5miles so that you have to run back. even if you walk parts of it - it's still a longer distance than you would have done otherwise.
5. if you have family - get your hubby to come out w/ the kids on their bikes -- have them meet you at a 1/2 point. the friendly faces always helps :)
6. i have a friend who has 3 older kids. so the whole family goes out on their bikes (except the runner) and will do 10/15 miles - she'll start her run earlier and meet them at an ice cream shop.
hope these suggestions help.

Tip 3: Reason behind the madness

I started talking about why it doesn't work to just stop cold turkey but i didn't fully explain why you want to add good things.
Ok, there's the obvious, because it's good for you - but the key is that the more healthy things you eat the more:
1. your body actually starts to crave healthy things. you''ll find that over time your taste buds change as does your stomach's cravings.
and
2. your body had the proper nutrition to try and heal it self of the toxins in your system.

The key is accomplishing the two goals above is: juicing.

It's not yuck, it's actually quite tasty and in fact, the more you juice, the more your body wants it.

start w/ something simple. like carrot/ apple juice. a 12 oz glass requires about 5/6 carrots and an apple. aim to juice about 5 out of the 7 days this week. don't be surprised if you actually feel sick and tired after the first couple of days of drinking this. it's your body's way of saying "hey, you're giving me a concentration of some healthy stuff so i'm going to try and do some repair work". what you're feeling is all those toxins that are trying to leave your system. the juice is trying to do some detox on your liver - so it's taking a lot of energy out of your system. also, aim for organic, fresh stuff. if it's bruised, cut that piece out. if you wouldn't chew it, then don't juice it.

disclaimer - i'm not a doctor and i'm not giving health advise under that guise...

Tip #3

So how'd the addition of water go this past week? Did you see a difference?

adding item of the week:
My favorite appliance is the Vita-Mix. This invention is just about AWESOME!
you can use this to make just about anything! ok, i'm digressing here.... i use this machine to make this week's add item: a smoothie. fruit smoothie w/ at least one superfood. that could be flax seed, coconut, etc. whenever possible, use fresh, organic ingredients.

Aim for a smoothie every morning this week. it's yummy and clean up's a cinch!

if you're using a household blender and you need to add liquid, try to stay away from adding "fake" juices that have artificial colorings and preservatives. you're better off adding water - at least this way it's just watered down nutrition as opposed to processed sugar. also, PLEASE try not to add sugar. fruit itself is quite sweet.

here are some ideas to get your started:
make sure you add your super food :)

1. banana, strawberry, pineapple is my go to. most days i have these on hand.
2, grapefruit (about 2 mediums, peeled)
3. grapes, melon, strawberries

if you have a few minutes:
a banana almond milk

boil some filtered water, throw in some RAW almonds for 1 minute. (about 1/2C almonds for 1C water). Run under cold water and then peel off the outer almond layer. throw into blender w/ filtered water. add ripe banana, pinch of nutmeg, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, ice and YUMMY!

(also try this with brazilian nuts which are excellent source of selenium (a good antioxidant).

A smoothie helps to ensure that you start your day on the right food... consider using this to replace cereal. The problems w/ cereal we'll save for another. safe to just say that fruit is a better alternative. enjoy!